Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children and young adults with secondary myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myelogenous leukemia after aplastic anemia.

Secondary myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myelogenous leukemia (sMDS/sAML) are the most serious secondary events occurring after immunosuppressive therapy in patients with aplastic anemia. Here we evaluate the outcome of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in 17 children and young adults with sMDS/sAML after childhood aplastic anemia. The median interval between the diagnosis of aplastic anemia and the development of sMDS/sAML was 2.9 years (range, 1.2 to 13.0 years). At a median age of 13.1 years (range, 4.4 to 26.7 years), patients underwent HSCT with bone marrow (n = 6) or peripheral blood stem cell (n = 11) grafts from HLA-matched sibling donors (n = 2), mismatched family donors (n = 2), or unrelated donors (n = 13). Monosomy 7 was detected in 13 patients. The preparative regimen consisted of busulfan, cyclophosphamide, and melphalan in 11 patients and other agents in 6 patients. All patients achieved neutrophil engraftment. The cumulative incidence of grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was 47%, and that of chronic GVHD was 70%. Relapse occurred in 1 patient. The major cause of death was transplant-related complication (n = 9). Overall survival and event-free survival at 5 years after HSCT were both 41%. In summary, this study indicates that HSCT is a curative therapy for some patients with sMDS/sAML after aplastic anemia. Future efforts should focus on reducing transplantation-related mortality.

FISH analysis of native smears from bone marrow and blood for the monitoring of chimerism and clonal markers after stem cell transplantation in children.

After stem cell transplantation (SCT) close follow-up of chimerism and/or clonal disease markers is essential for early treatment of graft failure or relapse. We wanted to assess the sensitivity, clinical reliability and practicability of inter-phase FISH on untreated, native smears of BM or PB for this purpose. We investigated 23 children after SCT with sex mismatch (MM) and/or clone specific markers (monosomy 7, trisomy 8, MLL rearrangement, bcr-abl, TEL-AML-1). Diagnoses were ALL (8), AML (6), MDS (2), CML (2), large cell anaplastic lymphoma (1) and SAA (4). Eighteen children were transplanted from sex-mismatched donors, seven among them had shown a clonal marker at diagnosis. The remaining five patients with sex matched donors also had a clonal marker. For FISH, we used commercial probes on fresh or stored unmanipulated smears of PB or BM. Cut-off levels for clonal markers were established on control probands without hematologic disease, for host sex on probands of the opposite sex, respectively (mean +3 SD). The presence of host cells and/or clonal markers established at diagnosis by conventional karyotyping was followed up after SCT at regular intervals by FISH. Nineteen of the 23 patients studied achieved and maintained complete continuous hematologic remission with corresponding absence of host and/or disease markers. In one of them, a fatal extramedullary relapse occurred. The associated mixed chimerism was confirmed by FISH. In all four cases with hematological relapse, the respective marker (MLL, bcr-abl, Mo 7) reappeared and was successfully monitored during DLI and repeat SCT in two as well as parallelled by simultaneous demonstration of host cells in the two sex mismatched cases among them. We demonstrate the usefulness of FISH on native smears for clinical routine follow-up of SCT patients. FISH allowed identification of cell origin in non-hematologic material (spinal fluid, pericardial effusion). Chimerism analysis in BM was slightly more sensitive than in PB. FISH was feasible on frozen stored smears as well.

Separation of parental genomes in human blood and bone marrow cells and its implications.

The linear order of genes is apparently interrupted at chromosomal ends. Our observations on human blood and bone marrow cells indicate that the chromosomes of each of the two parental sets maintain coherence, perhaps in tandem, forming a ring. Two such rings in a diploid cell join building a larger ring, which folds up to form the interphase nucleus. The linear order of genes thus extends beyond the chromosomal ends. These observations become especially significant when seen in the light of cell biologic findings on interaction of chromosomes or chromatin and centrioles in different cell cycle phases, in polymorphonuclear cells and during the zygotic developments. They may explain how the genomic order and the sequential continuity of the genes are maintained and why such order remains often cryptic.